1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for delivering contents such as music to a user using a terminal device such as an audio instrument via a network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Generally, when a user listens to favorite music by a conventional audio instrument, a packaged medium such as a CD (Compact Disc) and an MD (Mini Disc) is required. That is, the user listens to the favorite music by reproducing such a medium which the user has purchased, for example. Also, there is a radio broadcasting which does not require such a packaged medium.
On the other hand, as a method that does not require the above-mentioned packaged medium, there have been many attempts for delivering music through the Internet in recent years. However, in many of the above methods for music delivery through the Internet, music data themselves are downloaded to a terminal of a user and are stored in a storage medium in the terminal of the user. The user reproduces the stored data to listen to the music.
The user is required to buy a desired CD and so on, for example, at a CD shop according to the method for delivering contents by the packaged medium.
In the radio broadcasting, contents such as music are provided to the user according to programs decided on the side of a broadcasting station, and it is difficult to reflect user's preference in the provided contents such as music.
On the other hand, in the system for providing contents through a network, a user who desires to enjoy contents such as music is required to prepare a storage medium of a comparatively large capacity for storing music data in his or her terminal. Moreover, in order to rearrange and store the music data which have been downloaded from a server on the Internet and to select a desired music therefrom to listen, the user needs a high-performance application in his or her terminal to use contents after retrieval, arrangement, and so on.
Furthermore, in order to use the above high-performance application, the user is required to understand the functions of the application, and to have knowledge to use the application. Therefore, the user is not able to listen to the desired music in the same easy way as listening to music by reproducing a packaged medium by an audio reproduction device and so on after obtaining the medium.